DAB Radio - questions.

Biggins

Can anyone tell me what is the current status of DAB radio within the republic?
Are there actual Irish stations broadcasting for DAB radios?
Is it worth actually buying one yet?
Is there anything about them that I should be aware of?

I hope I'm posting in the right section.
If not, feel free to move mods. Thanks.

Cunsiderthis

Biggins wrote: »

Can anyone tell me what is the current status of DAB radio within the republic?
Are there actual Irish stations broadcasting for DAB radios?
Is it worth actually buying one yet?
Is there anything about them that I should be aware of?

I hope I'm posting in the right section.
If not, feel free to move mods. Thanks.

I have a DAB radio and can get some stations in Dublin. Personally, i never listen to it and would encourage anyone to buy, instead, an internet radio, which can receive radio from all over the world on an internet or wireless internet connection. My DAB radio is on my Roberts Internet Radio, which has, FM, DAB & internet radio stations.

In my view, DAB is a waste of time and money, and most of the stations available on DAB are also available on FM ( why I should want to listen via DAB instead of FM isn't clear), and they are all available on me Roberts WA202 wireless internet radio, together with literally thousands of other stations.

What is it about DAB which particularly attracts you to it?

Real FM

Biggins wrote: »

Can anyone tell me what is the current status of DAB radio within the republic?
Are there actual Irish stations broadcasting for DAB radios?
Is it worth actually buying one yet?
Is there anything about them that I should be aware of?

I hope I'm posting in the right section.
If not, feel free to move mods. Thanks.

I might be able to help you out here:

- At the moment RTÉ is only broadcasting on DAB. 4 standard services and 6 additional DAB stations. Whether they'll be there in a few more years depends a lot on whether the commercial stations get on board probably. It's available in Limer and Cork City and around 40% of Leinster - Dublin commuter belt.

- There are only Irish stations broadcasting in Ireland but RTÉ Choice broadcasts a lot of international programmes.

- Worth buying one...Have a listen to the stations online first I guess. There are some very good programmes there. You'd be surprised. A lot of stereos come with DAB so that might be a option.

- Anything to be aware of....The plug could be pulled on DAB. I'd imagine it'd probably become DAB Plus so I might wait a while.

Hope that helps mate.

Cunsiderthis

Real FM wrote: »

I might be able to help you out here:

- At the moment RTÉ is only broadcasting on DAB. 4 standard services and 6 additional DAB stations. Whether they'll be there in a few more years depends a lot on whether the commercial stations get on board probably. It's available in Limer and Cork City and around 40% of Leinster - Dublin commuter belt.

- There are only Irish stations broadcasting in Ireland but RTÉ Choice broadcasts a lot of international programmes.

- Worth buying one...Have a listen to the stations online first I guess. There are some very good programmes there. You'd be surprised. A lot of stereos come with DAB so that might be a option.

- Anything to be aware of....The plug could be pulled on DAB. I'd imagine it'd probably become DAB Plus so I might wait a while.

Hope that helps mate.

I have to say I am surprised anyone would advise buying a stand alone DAB radio - they are expensive and have been succeeded by internet radios which appears to make them obsolete.

Biggins

Cunsiderthis wrote: »

What is it about DAB which particularly attracts you to it?

In time all stations will have to be at the very least DAB.
The BBC is heading that way by 2015 - see HERE and HERE

The fact that you will be able to hear very clear all stations from where they are from apparently, is very useful for someone that is on the road no matter where they are - and not just near a wireless connection.

Driving in a car or out camping, etc. They could be an additional item useful to have.
What if your in an area that has very bad wireless receiving ability? Having a DAB radio will/might help in this problem.

Sadly, I know at present we have little Irish DAB stations.
In the states, its a whole different ball game. We are so backwards here when it comes to these things.

DAB raidos are expensive here - new tech and all that - but they will get cheaper like all things do in time.

eth0_

Cunsiderthis wrote: »

I have to say I am surprised anyone would advise buying a stand alone DAB radio - they are expensive and have been succeeded by internet radios which appears to make them obsolete.

Because, Cunsiderthis, not everyone has broadband at home. And there can be broadband outages, power cuts etc. That is why people sometimes eschew the purchase of an internet radio in favour of a DAB/FM.

OP - i'd go for a combined internet/DAB radio. I think Pure and Roberts make them. DAB in Ireland isn't great. There's not many stations and RTE's DAB only stations aren't amazing (why break the habit of a lifetime, eh RTE?).

BrianD

Cunsiderthis wrote: »

I have to say I am surprised anyone would advise buying a stand alone DAB radio - they are expensive and have been succeeded by internet radios which appears to make them obsolete.

That is not correct. Few people listen or use Internet radio. In the UK, where DAB is widely available as is broadband, it is considerably more poplular than Internet radio. Digital Radio (whether it be DAb, DAB+ or whatever standard) will only establish when a date for FM switch off has been decided.

DAB/DAB+ is certainly not obsolete and is the way forward for the radio industry. Unfortunately, in Ireland the only DAB offering is the RTE stations. While they produce great content, the lack of independent commercial stations makes DAB unattractive at the moment.

decies

BrianD wrote: »

That is not correct. Few people listen or use Internet radio. In the UK, where DAB is widely available as is broadband, it is considerably more poplular than Internet radio. Digital Radio (whether it be DAb, DAB+ or whatever standard) will only establish when a date for FM switch off has been decided.

DAB/DAB+ is certainly not obsolete and is the way forward for the radio industry. Unfortunately, in Ireland the only DAB offering is the RTE stations. While they produce great content, the lack of independent commercial stations makes DAB unattractive at the moment.

Have the roberts 202 internet dab radio. Dab one big downfull we cant get the uk stations on it,think you would be mad to get a dab only option.I enjoy my crystal clear five live in bed

ntlbell

I would go down the road of an all in one FM/DAB/Internet as someone mentioned roberts and pure do some great radio's

I bought a pure avanti flow recently, best money I've ever spent.

eth0_

BrianD wrote: »

That is not correct. Few people listen or use Internet radio. In the UK, where DAB is widely available as is broadband, it is considerably more poplular than Internet radio. Digital Radio (whether it be DAb, DAB+ or whatever standard) will only establish when a date for FM switch off has been decided.

We aren't in the UK...DAB in Ireland is poor; there are few stations and coverage isn't great. So I think it *is* useful to own an internet radio, if you are a radio fan.

radiofoot

eth0_ wrote: »

Because, Cunsiderthis, not everyone has broadband at home. And there can be broadband outages, power cuts etc. That is why people sometimes eschew the purchase of an internet radio in favour of a DAB/FM.

OP - i'd go for a combined internet/DAB radio. I think Pure and Roberts make them. DAB in Ireland isn't great. There's not many stations and RTE's DAB only stations aren't amazing (why break the habit of a lifetime, eh RTE?).

I would stay away from the Pure Evoke Flow. Works fine for live radio, but the Podcast and Listen Again features don't work well - you get to listen to 5-10 minutes of content before the stream is lost. Lots of people have reported this issue to Pure, who simply couldn't care less.

Biggins

Thanks so far for the suggestions and replies.
Its something I'm seriously considering getting soon so as to what is the best items as suggested above, is much appreciated.

old hippy

The other half gave me a DAB for xmas; I was pleased - as it meant I could listen to 6 Music in the kitchen. Imagine my annoyance when Mark Thompson decided that 6 music was too niche and expensive to continue.

Also, I have to admit that the signal can cut on occasion. I dunno if it's the same back home. As far as I'm aware, I can't pick up RTE here, which is a shame...

lizardfudge

RTÉ really don't put much resources into their specialised DAB stations.

I was interviewed by someone from RTÉ Choice last year and they were still using an old beat up portable minidisc recorder.

Marcelproust

radiofoot wrote: »

I would stay away from the Pure Evoke Flow. Works fine for live radio, but the Podcast and Listen Again features don't work well - you get to listen to 5-10 minutes of content before the stream is lost. Lots of people have reported this issue to Pure, who simply couldn't care less.

Its possible to purchase a combined FM/DAB/Internet Radio/Music Player for €169.95 in Dublin, which seems to cover all options and would seem to future proof yourself as much as possible. Buying a stand alone DAB radio seems to limit your options, both now and for the future.

jammygit

If you're looking out for Digital Radio do some research on DRM, or Digital Radio Mondiale. This system can translate digital over long (international) distances, so it has the potential to enable users to receive foreign broadcsts in car or other mobile situations.

bob50

Marcelproust wrote: »

Its possible to purchase a combined FM/DAB/Internet Radio/Music Player for €169.95 in Dublin, which seems to cover all options and would seem to future proof yourself as much as possible. Buying a stand alone DAB radio seems to limit your options, both now and for the future.

Great post I am old fashioned type and if anybody knows of a stong medium wave radio taht would pick up uk stations with a good reception in dublin or do i need to buy a internet radio thanks

L1011

jammygit wrote: »

If you're looking out for Digital Radio do some research on DRM, or Digital Radio Mondiale. This system can translate digital over long (international) distances, so it has the potential to enable users to receive foreign broadcsts in car or other mobile situations.

DRM is more of a dead duck than the ones sitting in clingfilm in Aldi's freezers. It is NEVER going to take off.

My DRM radio, one of about only 5 models ever made, sits in a box somewhere unused - it does DAB (and FM), but so poorly that it drove me insane.

tipperaryboy

It will be a very long time before DAB is available throughout Ireland.Why do RTE have to be slow and backward? Dont bother purchasing a DAB only radio go for an internet radio.

As i dont think irish radio will ever improve DAB or not.

Trick of the Tail

DAB will be available quicker than you think in the south-east.

A.

decies

alinton wrote: »

DAB will be available quicker than you think in the south-east.

A.

At the end of the year.Anyway without the BBC channells Dab is pretty pointless IMHO.

tipperaryboy

decies wrote: »

At the end of the year.Anyway without the BBC channells Dab is pretty pointless IMHO.

Yes it is really pointless without BBC or independent stations.

BrianD

tipperaryboy wrote: »

Yes it is really pointless without BBC or independent stations.

it's pointless what the independent sector onboard but the lack of BBC stations is irrelevant and there is no public demand for them. There was never any plan to add them and I would doubt if they ever will.

Marcelproust

BrianD wrote: »

it's pointless what the independent sector onboard but the lack of BBC stations is irrelevant and there is no public demand for them. There was never any plan to add them and I would doubt if they ever will.

Irrelevant to who?

My view is that DAB seems pointless when compared to Wifi radio. DAB equipment is expensive and the good wifi units are not much more expensive and have DAB and Wifi. Why would anyone want to limit themselves to DAB, especially when most of the (limited number) of channels are already available on FM and the internet?

L1011

I wish people would stop the broken record about the BBC stations.


We are NEVER getting the BBC stations on Irish DAB. End of. This has been the case since the day the trials started in 2006 and it hasn't changed - and isn't going to. So there is no point in banging on about it.

Hissing Sideban

bob50 wrote: »

Great post I am old fashioned type and if anybody knows of a stong medium wave radio taht would pick up uk stations with a good reception in dublin or do i need to buy a internet radio thanks

If you really want to listen to AM stations from the UK, what you need is an AM loop antenna (used to be available from Anoraks UK - anyone remember Barry and Ruth?) how to build one is detailed here
http://members.cox.net/rwagoner/columns/am_antenna.html - Don't worry about the 'lead out' connection, you can use it if your radio has an external aerial connection, if not stand the portable AM radio inside the loop antenna, (perpendicular to the winding direction) and slowly tune the loop until the wanted station gets louder and clearer

It will bring in a station from virtually nothing to almost local strength, provided there isn't too much local noise from electronic equipment.

Regarding the future being Internet radio, the problem is if it becomes the main mode of listening, the internet will become too congested - 3G (or 4G, 5G etc.)

Some form of multicasting, i.e. broadcasting is the answer, so DAB or more likely DAB+ is still a promising solution.

JP Coakley (RTE) and Dusty Rhodes (DigitalradioLtd)have an interesting article that explains this further - see
http://www.digitalradioltd.com/online-v-fm/

As regards further DAB expansion watch (or listen) to this space - say no more Andy!

ntlbell

Hissing Sideban wrote: »

Regarding the future being Internet radio, the problem is if it becomes the main mode of listening, the internet will become too congested - 3G (or 4G, 5G etc.)

how can the "internet" become too congested when we can basically add an infinite amount of capacity?

decies

MYOB wrote: »

I wish people would stop the broken record about the BBC stations.


We are NEVER getting the BBC stations on Irish DAB. End of. This has been the case since the day the trials started in 2006 and it hasn't changed - and isn't going to. So there is no point in banging on about it.

Yes thank you we know this but you would be amazed the amount of people who would buy a dab radio only and not aware what limited choice there is out there at the moment.Sorry for banging on about it

BrianD

Marcelproust wrote: »

Irrelevant to who?

My view is that DAB seems pointless when compared to Wifi radio. DAB equipment is expensive and the good wifi units are not much more expensive and have DAB and Wifi. Why would anyone want to limit themselves to DAB, especially when most of the (limited number) of channels are already available on FM and the internet?

The same reason why the majority of people don't listen to wifi radio at the moment. They're quite happy with FM radio as it gives them local and relevant content. DAB (or whatever standard that will be adopted here) is the digital replacement for FM and unlike wifi radio it's a free to air system.

BBC is irrelevant and of no interest to the majority of people in Ireland. There are plenty of ad hoc surveys to support this.

PURE Ireland

Hello,

I thought I'd introduce myself in this thread to start with, I work for PURE Radios (http://www.pure.com/ie/) and look after pretty much every aspect of PURE Radios in Ireland.

I'm a long term member of boards.ie so I know how you (we?) like to interact with manufactures and give your feedback, both good and bad. So I'll gladly answer questions relating to PURE and even DAB as I've a good few contacts in both RTE & the commercial stations and might be able to give you guys/gals some information that would not normally be available.

Few little facts:

• All PURE radios come with a 2 year end user warranty.
• All PURE radios sold in Ireland are at least DAB+ out of the box. (Many are profile 1)
• PURE radios bought in the UK or from Currys/Argos/M&S here in Ireland are 99% not DAB+ compatible as these were destined for UK market.

BBC Radio will never be broadcast on Digital in Ireland. To the best of my knowledge it's never been broadcast on FM here either.

I personally see all radios of the future having joint Digital & Internet radio on them, with switching between broadcast types being blurred with just one list of favourites.

radiofoot wrote: »

I would stay away from the Pure Evoke Flow. Works fine for live radio, but the Podcast and Listen Again features don't work well - you get to listen to 5-10 minutes of content before the stream is lost. Lots of people have reported this issue to Pure, who simply couldn't care less.

Sorry to hear that, if you fancy dropping me an email at sean.burke@pure.com and i'll see what I can do for you to resolve the issue. I listen to 5-6 podcasts a week (beats in space etc) on my flow and I've never had any issues. In fact we pride ourselves in monitoring our podcasts & internet stations to make sure they are still live with a pretty advanced monitor system based in the UK. We also can add streams if your looking for a specific internet stations.
There is also a new firmware upgrade available (thinks it's 1.8 for the flow) thats available over wifi at the moment which might solve the issue?

If there are any other questions or issues either drop me an email at the above address or PM me.

Looking forward to hearing peoples feedback on PURE in Ireland!

Thanks,

Sean.

Edit - This is a great article regarding Digital Vs Internet - http://www.digitalradioltd.com/radios-future-online/

ntlbell

I've seen a few threads on boards now about listen again problems.

The only time I had a problem was a local ISP that has nothing to do with the radio.

(pure avanti flow)

A lot of people seem to have some issues with internet radio which are normally down to external influences outside of the control of the radio

e.g. downloading a load of films while listening to internet radio and blame the radio on buffering issues when it's local network congestion etc.

Spanish Eyes

To a previous poster who said BBC channels are not major here, maybe not, but a lot of us really like them for their current affairs/news/world service/5live/classical. They are the business, and makes me feel less insular anyway. And I am sure I am not alone there, Radio 4 is one of the best on the planet, and whenever indigenous radio gives me the pip, off I go to the other side of the pond for a bit of sanity.

I have a DAB/internet/fm radio, cheapie Magicbox, but it is great. Once tuned in to the internet I can take it all over the house. I know I can listen to radio on the laptop, but the mobility of the internet radio around the house is great.

DAB, although I have it on the radio I bought, don't need it. Can listen to anything all around the world anyway.

This is only in the house, but to be honest, if driving, I use Irish radio or CDs/ipod downloads to get me there.

Enjoy.

radiofoot

ntlbell wrote: »

I've seen a few threads on boards now about listen again problems.

The only time I had a problem was a local ISP that has nothing to do with the radio.

(pure avanti flow)

A lot of people seem to have some issues with internet radio which are normally down to external influences outside of the control of the radio

e.g. downloading a load of films while listening to internet radio and blame the radio on buffering issues when it's local network congestion etc.

My problems were entirely down to the radio (pure evoke flow). I know this because I also have an older reciva radio that has never had this issue - not even once. I have even tried them simultaneously and only one radio failed.

ntlbell

radiofoot wrote: »

My problems were entirely down to the radio (pure evoke flow). I know this because I also have an older reciva radio that has never had this issue - not even once. I have even tried them simultaneously and only one radio failed.

I understand, I was mainly making a general observation of people with internet radio's

L1011

decies wrote: »

Yes thank you we know this but you would be amazed the amount of people who would buy a dab radio only and not aware what limited choice there is out there at the moment.Sorry for banging on about it

Go on about limited choice all you want, bothering to mention the BBC stations suggests we were possibly going to get them - when we were NEVER going to get them. The lack of the BBC stations is a non-issue.

decies

MYOB wrote: »

Go on about limited choice all you want, bothering to mention the BBC stations suggests we were possibly going to get them - when we were NEVER going to get them. The lack of the BBC stations is a non-issue.

Take a chill pill man :D:D

PURE Ireland

ntlbell wrote: »

how can the "internet" become too congested when we can basically add an infinite amount of capacity?

It's more so about our bandwidth and the cost associated with improving our infrastructure than actual internet capacity;

This explains it pretty well;

http://www.digitalradioltd.com/radios-future-online/

ntlbell

PURE Ireland wrote: »

It's more so about our bandwidth and the cost associated with improving our infrastructure than actual internet capacity;

This explains it pretty well;

http://www.digitalradioltd.com/radios-future-online/

Bandwith/co-locating etc prices having fallen through the floor, not as much in Ireland but as more companies like dedi-serve 365 etc come into play it will get cheaper and cheaper.

That explains more of a cost issues rather than a technical one, which is the point I was making.

I understand what your saying tho.

dRNk SAnTA

MYOB wrote: »

Go on about limited choice all you want, bothering to mention the BBC stations suggests we were possibly going to get them - when we were NEVER going to get them. The lack of the BBC stations is a non-issue.

That is a ridiculous comment, of course it is an issue because you would not believe how many people think they will be able to receive BBC with a digital radio - my own father included.

Yes it is a fact that BBC will never be available, therefore it is quite a defining difference when deciding whether to go for a stand-alone DAB vs an internet radio. To say it is a non-issue would suggest that nobody in Ireland is interested in BBC radio which is very far from the truth.

I think DAB is an incredible waste of time. I've got one and I could not recommend it to anyone. Just save your money or get an internet radio, I think DAB is hyped up rubbish.

L1011

dRNk SAnTA wrote: »

That is a ridiculous comment, of course it is an issue because you would not believe how many people think they will be able to receive BBC with a digital radio - my own father included.

Yes it is a fact that BBC will never be available, therefore it is quite a defining difference when deciding whether to go for a stand-alone DAB vs an internet radio. To say it is a non-issue would suggest that nobody in Ireland is interested in BBC radio which is very far from the truth.

I think DAB is an incredible waste of time. I've got one and I could not recommend it to anyone. Just save your money or get an internet radio, I think DAB is hyped up rubbish.

Why would anyone with any sense assume you'd get BBC stations with a digital radio when you don't get them on FM and only get two, poorly, on AM?

Anyway, that wasn't my point. My point is that people need to stop bleating on about "oh, why can't we get the BBC stations..." when it was obvious from day 1 that we weren't getting them. Ever.

Come back to me when an interner radio works on the move, in high capacity areas, without costing me money to run. I'd suspect that'll be five to ten years away...